Closure of old Velez, DV Soria streets caused heavy traffic

April 26, 2008

FINALLY! The ’worst ever-potholed’ national road is now being repaired. The project is made possible with the help of Second District Cong. Rufus Rodriguez. But the lack of coordination among contractors, the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA), DPWH, etc. resulted to a monstrous traffic for a full 2-day period.

Traffic was unusually monstrous around the center of the city yesterday as areas of a major national road and city roads around the Divisoria Area were simultaneously closed down for some concreting and/or drainage works.
The situation was aggravated as the contractors and their men, who were supposedly-commissioned by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and that of the City Government of Cagayan de Oro to fast track their works , were observed to be lagging behind .
This as the contractors only deployed a number of men, a few heavy equipment and no arrangements were made to make sure that there is a 24-hour work on the project instead of timing their works only during mornings when these roads are already teeming with public and private vehicles even large trucks.
One of the two lanes of the infamously-pot holed Velez Street— specifically the areas just right in front of the Pelaez Sports Center towards the Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGSCH) then to Land Bank Velez or from Velez-Kalambaguhan to Velez-Luna streets— has been closed as drainage culverts were being installed underneath.
The project is being handled by a contractor hired by the regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-10) considering that Velez Street is a national road.
The closure of half of this national road has affected the Pier-Cogon public utility jeepney (PUJ) route particularly when the PUJ heads toward Barangay Puntod from the Cogon Public Market Area.
A Pier-Cogon PUJ has to make a detour and instead of taking a right-turn at City Central Elementary School and passing through the Velez Street, it now goes straight to Yacapin Street and make a right-turn only at Tiano-Yacapin corner and has to share the small road with the motorela and private vehicles.
This Pier-Cogon route only comes out either at Tiano-Akut or just at the Fatima Chapel Area or at the Tiano- Luna Street to enter the Velez Street and proceed to the Puntod and Pier areas causing chokepoints in these areas.
This closure is also done simultaneously with that of the Velez Street adjacent to the R Borja Street thus affecting other PUJ routes: Bulua B1, Gusa RC, Bonbon Highway-Velez, Bayabas-Highway-Velez, Kauswagan-Highway-Velez, and Iponan-Velez as they come from the Cogon Area towards the Corrales Avenue.
Then comes the choking points at the Divisoria Area where a number of city roads are simultaneously closed down for concreting/paving by O.C. Pizarro, a favorite contractor of then city mayor now vice-mayor Vicente Emano and some other contractors.
Half of Divisoria -Tiano Brothers Street fronting McDonalds is closed down for renovation as well as half of the street fronting the Divisoria City Fruit Stand among others. This as private vehicles, motorelas and PUJs coming from the Capistrano area and taking the Divisoria-Abejuela street are competing with each other for just one lane and oftentimes resulting to choking points.
Such closure of city streets, also for renovation purposes, further aggravated the traffic situation of the city’s downtown area.
It is hoped that city government officials will step into the situation to make sure that the contractors – both hired by DPWH-10 and City Hall – will actually finish their public work contracts on time or if possible ahead of schedule. (by Lizanilla J. Amarga published with goldstar daily March 28, 2008)

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Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro